In an embodiment, a method is provided for improving signal and transducer alignment in a magnetic tape drive. The method includes writing a first track and a second track to a tape. Each track has an associated track characteristic, which may include fundamental frequency and test binary pattern, among other characteristics. The tracks are adjacent and substantially parallel to one another, and each track has a differing track characteristic value. Each track is read at multiple tracking positions to collect values corresponding to each position. An optimal offset is determined based on the collected values and the corresponding tracking positions. In another embodiment, a magnetic tape drive includes a data reader, a data writer, a processor, and a computer readable medium. The medium has stored instructions, executable by the processor, for carrying out the described method.